Emotions of the Emotionless
by InMyHat
Summary: The war against the robots is over but when Taz finds Jorge, something changes.
1. Chapter 1

The horrid smell of bunt flesh and decaying bodies still hung in the humid air as Taz walked slowly through the house she had once called home. She desperately wanted to be sad, seeing the corpses of her loved ones, now rotting, but she couldn't. Taz thought herself emotionless now. She tried to make tears come, but they wouldn't. She was just like the robots, she thought. No, she mustn't think that, her mind argued. She was better than them. She had killed because they had, not to conquer.

The infamous war against the robots had been won only three days ago on Earth, but the Starship Rangers of the Starship 15A2 had only arrived back from Bug-World one day before. Secretly, Taz had desperately wanted to be congratulated heavily by anyone who would notice. But the news of the humans winning the century-long war overpowered their story of stopping a plot. Junior was dead now and -Claw had been arrested prior to their return.

Taz looked from left to right at what should have been her garden. The Mexican sun beat down on the yellowed grass. She walked cautiously to the other end of the garden, her eyes focused on her target. Taz stared up at the dead tree. It was taller than she remembered but still had the ropes dangling and fraying from a branch. Then she diverted her gaze to her feet and jumped back in horror and surprise. Memories flowed back into Taz's mind as she stared at what used to be her mother.

The robots had killed her in front of Taz, in the most inhumane way they could think of. They had used their sharp attachments to cut off parts of her body. Eventually, Taz's mother had been reduced to thirty-three single pieces. The robots had made sure she didn't die of blood loss, so kept burning the stumps. All while Taz was strung up by her foot like a piñata in that tree.

She shook away the bad memories and began muttering to herself. She knew it had been an awful idea to come back. She put a hand to her cheek quickly: she was crying. Her emotions fought to take over her. Her relief of feeling upset only made her sadder as no one should be relieved while looking at this sit in front of her.

At that, Taz turned and sprinted through her house and out again into the road. Her senses were more alert now, after the rush of running. She glanced fast around until she saw what she was searching for. Silent tears still pouring down her face, she thrust the door open and leapt in the Jeep's passenger seat. She broke down, letting herself to cry it out.

When no more tears would come, Taz looked to her side. Up had his hands on the steering wheel and was staring ahead. Feeling her dark eyes, he turned his head to her. They said in a comfortable silence, never breaking eye contact, until Taz nodded.

"I'm ready to go." Her accented voice almost quivered but she kept strong, wiping away the last of her hot tears. Up started the engine and quietly sighed to himself, she looked so vulnerable.


	2. Chapter 2

They drove slowly along the dusty roads of Mexico for a few minutes in silence, heading for the border into the USA, the only sound came from the constant purr of the engine. Up felt like he should say something, anything to Taz, but she beat him to it.

"They didn't even have the decency to move the bodies." Up glanced at her quizzically and tightened his grip on the wheel, hoping she wouldn't take his confusion offensively.

"It's true. They haven't done anything with the bodies. Just left them there to rot further, _hijos de puta_." Taz looked out the window to see if any more bodies lined the streets. She held in her gasp when she saw the crumpled body of what resembled a small boy, aged no more than ten, Taz guessed.

"See? How could they just leave him there?" She vented angrily as more tears threatened to fall. Up had stayed silent as he knew that when Taz was in a mood such as this, he shouldn't interfere with her feelings, it would only make her furious at him. Suddenly, it hit him who she was talking about.

"You mean the Starship Rangers." It wasn't a question. Taz gave a small nod. The Rangers which were still on Earth at the time of victory had been assigned to remove all the debris. She felt disgusted as the Rangers were only cleaning the "messiest countries", which, according to the G.L.E.E., was almost every other country but Mexico.

"You know, Up, I wish I had been here for the last days of the robots. I would've _destruido _every last one." The anger was more prominent in her voice now. Up smiled sadly, knowing once they were back around the other Rangers, she would be a lot more secretive and closed up about her feelings. Up loved to listen to her voice when it was calm. He rarely got to see that side of her; she always acted so tough and Up knew she was, but he always said to her, "it's okay to be something else sometimes".

"I know, Taz. But we weren't here. We were helping in a whole new way: defeating Junior, you know that. Didn't you feel such a rush when "destruido"-ing Junior's plan and those massive mosquitoes?" He smiled gently and she chuckled a little.

"You don't make any sense, amigo." She sniffed. "But yeah, I did feel the rush." _Probably would've felt more of a rush destroying robots though_, she wanted to add but didn't, knowing it would only cause Up to drag on about it. She went back to staring at the ruined houses outside.

"How long until we're back?" She asked dreamily.

"About another few hours until we're at the border at least." Up replied, Taz muttered an "okay", even though she hadn't fully taken in what he had said. "You alright?" Up tried to make eye contact with her.

"Yes, I'm fine." Her blunt answer was clue enough to Up to be quiet. He shook his head again slightly and kept his eyes on the road.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hi everyone reading this. I just wanted to say thanks everyone for the comments and reviews and stuff. :D This isn't my first fanfic on Starship but I'm thinking it's the best reviewed (especially as only a few people have read my others because they aren't on here). In this chapter I think everything really kicks off and if you don't add it to your favourites and stuff or if you even removed it from your favourites I wouldn't be surprised seeing as I think it's getting worse. Hey ho. This chapter is also really long to me (3 pages in a word document! :O). Anyway, I knew I shouldn't've done this foreword thingy as I knew I'd go on for ages. Just read. Now. Read it. Go on. It's right there. Read! _

Seemingly hours later saw them still driving. No more words had been spoken since and the heat was starting to get to them. Taz felt a little bead of sweat trickling between her eyes so she pulled her red bandana off, wiped it away and tied it back around her head.

"Up, stop!" She suddenly shouted, scaring Up and causing him to break hard and fast.

"What is it, Taz?" He barked, alert and ready for whatever it was Taz had made him stop about. She was staring intensely at a small house at the side of the road, frowning.

"I saw something. _Mira,_ can you see that?" She pointed at the window of the old house, sure enough, Up could see something. Green and red lights were moving behind the grubby white curtains of the ground floor. Taz and Up looked at each other momentarily and nodded.

"Lets go get them." Taz said excitedly as she pulled the zapper out from under her seat and Up stopped the engine and did the same. They jumped out as quietly as possible but left the doors open in case of need of a quick getaway.

"You first." Up whispered as the reached the doorway, which the door looked like it had been ripped off from. But Taz held a hand up to silence him and stopped for a moment listening hard.

"You hear that? There's a child in there." She said slowly. The sound was a whimpering of sorts. The sort you only hear when a child is truly terrified.

Taz and Up proceeded into the house and made sure their zappers were set to "pew" before advancing into the front room. They had only a second to take in the scene before the three huge robots began firing.

Up took out one almost immediately and Taz destroyed another just after. But as they were shooting the first two, the third, seemingly smarter than the others, had moved over to the young boy in the corner and was pointing a gun to the boys head.

"Drop your weapons, puny hoomans." Taz was sure she could see it smiling behind the emotionless metal. They saw no other way so began to put the zappers down, then Taz and Up had the same idea simultaneously. She looked at him and cocked her head at which point they shot the robot quickly. The robot obviously hadn't been expecting this and was instantly blown up from the force of two zappers.

"Strange." Up said to himself, walking around the remains of the robot. No robot he had met ever hesitated to fire or even tried to negotiate with humans.

"Please don't hurt me." The boy spoke quietly in rushed Spanish as he hugged his knees, still on the floor, staring up at Up and Taz. Up took a breath to talk to the boy, then realised Taz would be better suited. She bent down to his level, smiled gently and began to speak in her native tongue.

"Hey, its okay. We're Starship Rangers. My name is Taz and this is Commander Up. You have no need to worry about the robots anymore. Are you hurt?" Hearing this the boy relaxed slightly and shook his head, but he kept his eyes on Taz. Standing he was only a few inches shorter than Taz.

"Ask him his name and age." Up spoke into Taz's ear. She asked the boy.

"Jorge Valdez. I'm nine." He stuttered in English and looking at Up with his head slightly down.

"You know English?" Up took a step towards Jorge, who instinctively moved back.

"A little. My mama taught me... have you seen my mama?" He said the last sentence to Taz in Spanish. She frowned and turned to Up.

"Search the house for his mama, can you?" She didn't think it would be good for Jorge's morale to see his mama dead; she knew what it was like. Up went to look and left Taz to question the boy, but he beat her to it.

"Is he your boyfriend?" He gestured to the doorway Up had just left by. Taz laughed a little and Jorge gave her a small smile.

"I don't think so. We're just friends." She sighed heavily. "Now, back to you, you want to sit down?" He followed her to the tatty couch and they sat down.

"How long have you been with the robots here?" Taz used her serious voice, making sure she kept the eye contact as he could very easily lie to her, though she couldn't think why he'd want to lie.

"I don't know. I think almost two weeks." He rubbed his left arm with his hand and Taz could see a long thin cut going from his elbow to his wrist.

"Could I see that please?" She took his arm lightly and he gasped. Her dark eyes traced the wound, it wasn't too deep, and he'd get medical help at the Starship Base. The edges of the cut had begun to almost heal over.

"When did they do this to you? When they first came?" She saw Jorge gritting his teeth in pain and let go of his arm as he nodded. "And do you know why they kept you alive?" Jorge nodded again.

"That one said they could raise me as their own. They had tried to use my baby sister, Juanita, but she was too small and they..." He trailed off, tears brimming.

"It's okay, Jorge. You're safe now." He breathed in and continued, blinking back the tears.

"They said they would keep Mama alive too to learn from her." Taz put a finger to his mouth.

"Shh, it's okay. Would you like a hug?" Usually Taz wouldn't be this friendly towards someone who had been in contact with the robots but she could see it wasn't his choice and he had lost his family. Jorge smiled through his tears and pounced on Taz in a tight hug.

"Thank you, Miss." He muttered, burying his tan face into her shoulder. She patted his back, slightly unaware of how to handle him. Then she noticed Up at the doorway, leaning casually against the side and folding his arms. Taz raised her eyebrows at him and he shook his head sadly.


	4. Chapter 4

"Would you mind coming with Up and I to the Starship Base? They'll look after you there: get you cleaned up." Taz released Jorge from their long hug but kept her hand on his shoulder.

"Will you stay with me?" A look of fear passed quickly over his eyes. Taz breathed out hard once and closed her eyes. She smiled.

"Yes, I will." She promised. Taz already loved this little stranger just as she had loved her own younger brother all those years ago. She held his hand all the way to the Jeep for reassurance as Jorge was suddenly very jumpy as the cool breeze blew his hair.

Up watched Taz intently. He had never seen her act like this before to anyone except himself. He loved to listen to her voice as she spoke to Jorge in Spanish; the words rolled so smoothly off her tongue. Up saw Taz was almost grateful, it seemed, that Jorge had been there: she could at least save someone, even if he wasn't her actual family. He then diverted his eyes to the Jeep and realised someone would have to ride on the flatbed part. He turned to Taz, muttering something about "stupid designs".

"Taz, I think you should go in the back." He pointed to it and she nodded and made to let go of Jorge's hand which he immediately took hold of tightly again.

"You said you wouldn't leave." He said to her and there was pleading in his dark eyes. Up gave Taz a questioning look, not understanding.

"Alright, you can come sit up here with me." She grinned and opened the back. Jorge's eyes widened for a moment, he swallowed and took a step tentatively towards it.

"It's very high." He said, trembling slightly. Taz cocked her head at him.

"It's okay. Come here, I'll lift you up. Ready?" Jorge questioned Taz silently, thinking there was no way her small arms could lift him up that high. Surprisingly to Jorge, she managed with ease.

"You are very amazing, Miss." He attempted English as Taz pulled herself onto the truck and shut the door. She laughed her first real laugh for some time.

"You don't need to call me Miss. Call me Taz, amigo." She said in Spanish, ruffling his hair as they sat with the backs against the cab as Up got in. "But thank you, all the same." She winked at Jorge.

Up drove, confused. He felt somewhat selfish as he heard himself wishing Taz had never seen those lights of the robots in the window. He flanked every so often in the mirror which showed him their heads. Up could make out, from the small amount of Spanish he knew, that Jorge was asking Taz a lot of questions about her. Then once he tuned in to their conversation and he listened hard: they were talking about him. Up just caught the words "mejor amigo" and "me gustaria que...".

Up made a mental note to let Taz teach him more Spanish.


	5. Chapter 5

_Before I start this chapter, can I just thank everyone for the reviews and stuff? I can? Good. Thanks everyone for the reviews and stuff. I love writing this and I feared that if I started I'd most likely give up after a while but with the people saying how "awesome" it is; it's encouraged me to keep going. So thanks again. :D And yes, I understand it must be annoying as all the chapters are like different lengths, so sorry bout that._

"Okay, we're just crossing the border now, guys. We'll be there in about half an hour." Up warned Taz and Jorge as they crossed the border. No one tried to stop them, for the guards had all been either killed or recruited as fighters in the war. Now the surviving ones were probably partying or mourning.

Taz had been trying to keep Jorge's mind off the war. She had made sure he looked nowhere but at her to keep from seeing the destruction all around them. But since they had gotten closer to the border to America, Taz hadn't seen as many bodies in the streets. She had found it surprisingly easy to talk to Jorge. He was no different to her really. Just smaller and had male genitalia.

So now Jorge was poking his head over the side of the flatbed, holding one of Taz's hands to keep from falling. The wind whipped his face harshly but he enjoyed seeing where they were going.

"Have you ever been in America before?" Taz asked in Spanish. Jorge sat back down next to her.

"Never, but I have often dreamed of it." He giggled and kept his eyes on what was passing them as they got deeper and deeper into America.

They arrived at Starship Base just as the sun was setting. Jorge shivered slightly next to Taz and she put an arm around him.

"You cold?" She held his hands with hers and blew into them. Jorge grinned, then quickly looked round.

"Are we here?" He asked Up hesitantly through the small window into the cab. Up nodded and got out, cutting the engine. Taz helped Jorge down and he promptly took a firm hold of her hand again, she smiled softly at him.

"No one's going to hurt you here." She said calmly in Spanish as they went in together. Up walked behind them, a little hurt Taz hadn't spoken to him the whole journey.

Jorge stared in awe of the Base. He had never seen anything like this back in Mexico. He had never seen anything as white, or as sleek as the walls were. Many people were marching around, doing different things. He speculated what they could be doing. Then he looked up to Taz, who was also observing the scene. It was good to be back.

They walked hand in hand to the medical wing. Well, they would have done if they hadn't been stopped by Tootsie Megagirl.

"Hey there. Whoa, who's that little boy with you?" The country pumpkin said as if Jorge wasn't even there. Taz glared at Tootsie, then she sighed loudly.

"Tootsie, this is Jorge Valdez. Up and I just rescued him from robots in Mexico." She said angrily. Hearing his name, Jorge tugged on Taz's top as she had let go of his hand when Tootsie approached. Taz opened her mouth to speak but Tootsie beat her to it.

"Hello, Jorge. Funny name you got... Hey, where are you from? I'm from Farm Planet myself..." He rambled, staring into space. Jorge stood, petrified, by Taz's side and quickly took her hand which calmed him down immediately.

"Tootsie, he doesn't speak much English,_ idiota_." Taz turned to Jorge. "Don't worry," She said in Spanish, "he's a bit of a dumbass." He laughed and Tootsie frowned heavily, repeating the last words of Spanish, trying to understand. Suddenly a robot came around the corner, metal feet echoing loudly against the polished floor.

"Tootsie, what are you and these two small hoomans and this big hooman conversing about?" Megagirl put a robotic arm awkwardly around her husband's shoulders. She still hadn't grasped anyone's names but Tootsies, despite having an eidetic memory.

"Oh, Megagirl, you're too cute." Tootsie waved an arm to the humans and dragged his wife with him back around the corner.

Taz suddenly realised there was nothing holding onto her hand. She looked down for Jorge. But he wasn't there. She spun around, hoping he was behind her.

"Up, where is Jorge?" Up shrugged and folded his arms. Taz threw her arms in the air. Megagirl had scared him so he'd run off. Stupid robot. "Jorge!" Taz called. Jorge almost instantly poked his head around the corner behind them.

"Is the robot gone?" He asked Taz, who nodded.

"Do not scare me like that, I was worried. You shouldn't wonder off in this place." She told him, taking a firm grip of his hand again.

Up didn't go with them to the hospital wing. After finding Jorge again, Up turned around and briskly started walking in the opposite direction. If he was around Taz and that Jorge for a minute more, he would most likely lose his cool. No matter how selfish he thought himself, the thought that she thought Jorge was better than him just wouldn't go away.


	6. Chapter 6

_Hello again, I just wanted to notify people who are following this story and whatnot that I probably won't be able to post for a while seeing as I'm going on holiday from tomorrow, yay. I will try but there's limited internet access. But you can expect I will probably have at least four chapters by the time I get back to upload. :D Sorry. :) (Also, if this chapter seems a little paedophilic, it's not at all meant to be, they're just friends, sorry)_

"Who are they?" Jorge stopped and stared through the large window which took up most of the wall space in the corridor. They had been and gone from the hospital wing and he had been given painkillers, causing him to be a little dizzy.

"They are training to become Starship Rangers, like me and Up... where is Up anyway?" Taz looked around but wasn't really seeing. Cadets from the Starship Academy were playing laser-tag. Each shot weakened them from the lasers. Taz remembered that if you got shot around ten times, you would collapse. Of course she had never passed out; she barely even got shot once while playing. She smiled lightly, watching as the cadets darted and ducked in the enclosed field.

"Do you think I could be a Ranger?" He yawned. Taz saw how tired he was and pulled him away, heading for her room.

"Maybe." She answered quietly. "You'd have to leave me if you were though." He giggled and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Taz whisked him up and he put his hands around her neck. "Sleepy?" She asked, though she knew the answer. He nodded into her shoulder and he closed his eyes.

By the time they got to Taz's room Jorge was asleep. She laid him down as gently as she could onto her bed and put the covers carefully over him, leaving just his head showing. Before leaving Jorge to sleep alone, she leant against her clothes cabinet and she just watched him for a few minutes. It relaxed her: seeing his chest rising and falling rhythmically.

She turned around and opened a drawer and got out some clothes. Even though it was just a white tank top and sweats, it was much cleaner and she wanted a long hot shower. Taz needed to feel hot water pelting down onto her skin, heated from the day's sun.

She finished her shower quickly once she thought about how scared Jorge could get if he was left alone. She dried off and put on new clothes, feeling suddenly refreshed. Walking out into her room again, she threw her towel on the floor.

"You aren't very tidy." Taz looked up quickly and grinned at Jorge, who was sitting cross legged on the bed, looking as if he had been waiting for her.

"I know, amigo. What are you doing awake? It's past midnight." She checked her clock on the bedside table and sat down in front of Jorge.

"I'm not tired anymore. Can we explore?" His eyes glittered in the dim light. Taz sighed comically.

"Well, we can't now. But I promise you we will in the morning, okay?" His smile faltered almost instantly. "What's up?" She asked.

"Then there will be people there. Like today, there were a lot of people." Taz could tell he was very worried about this and scooted further onto the bed and got under a thin sheet.

"Well, Jorge, its bedtime now, come on." She patted the space next to her and he snuggled down next to her. Jorge suddenly felt very tired again. Taz began to sing to him. It was the old Mexican lullaby her mama had taught her back when she was smaller.

Jorge closed his eyes and fell asleep quietly, feeling completely safe in Taz's arms.


	7. Chapter 7

_Alright boys and girls, I've been away for a while and I shall post now. I'm very sorry for leaving for a week, but where I went was *%^$&*( awesome. Oh and I should say now, that I don't have a clue what the ratings on this website are for. Like what does K mean? Or K+ or whatever? Its weird, usually its just mature or not. XD Anyway, I don't think these chapters will be as good as I wrote them quickly and was on holiday so... yeah, I wasn't really "in the zone" for most of the time. Anyway... enjoy, I guess. :P_

Taz awoke at dawn on the floor of her room. She shivered, feeling cool air against her bare arms. She asked herself how she came to be sleeping on the floor but remembered quickly of Jorge literally kicking her out of bed as he was asleep. Taz had migrated to the floor, so she hadn't woke him up. Her head was pressing uncomfortably against her bedside table so she stood up and stretched.

"Taz?" Taz almost jumped out of her skin; she hadn't realised Jorge was awake. She laughed and sat down on the bed next to him.

"Good morning. How long have you been awake?" She ruffled his hair gently, he shook her off playfully.

"Just a couple of minutes. I liked watching you sleep, you looked peaceful." He smiled at stared at the floor where she had been lying. She laughed lightly again. She got up and walked into the adjoining bathroom and got dressed quickly

"Oh, you must be hungry! Come on, I'll get you some breakfast." Taz clapped her hands together. Jorge followed her eagerly into the corridor, then stopped. "You still scared?" Taz took hold of his hand as he nodded sadly.

"Yeah." He as good as whispered. "Will we see that man again? Will he be there?" She pondered his question for a moment, who was he talking about? Oh...

"We might see Up." She smiled and pulled Jorge further into the corridor and around the corner. They walked for a few minutes, not really passing anybody, and then turned left into the cafeteria. Taz saw Jorge's eyes widen as he saw the rows of food lining the many tables in the room. He ran in, completely forgetting about Taz for a second, and began to stuff his mouth full of anything he could find; croissants, toast, jam, anything sweet.

"Hey, calm down, little man, this is going to be here for another three hours." She checked her watch and fetched Jorge a plate. "Here, put everything you want on here. Remember, you can always come back for more if you need it." She laughed again at his greediness as he piled item after item of food onto his small plate.

He turned and looked around after getting a mini mountain of breakfast stuffs. Many clear tables were dotted around the huge room, but most had people sitting at them, enjoying their own breakfasts. Jorge searched for a spare table. The one with the least people on it, had only Up sitting alone. Up saw him looking and beckoned him and Taz over. She went over gladly but Jorge held back.

"Taz, can I...?" He gestured to her hand and she held it out for him to take. He adjusted his plate so he could carry it with one hand while the other held tightly onto Taz.

"Good morning." Up said unemotionally as they approached, Taz took a seat and pulled Jorge down next to her.

"Hey, Up. Where did you go last night?" Up stared at her until she repeated herself in a language he would understand.

"Ah, well, I just wanted to get back to my room. I was tired." He said bluntly, prodding the odd meat lazily in front of him.

"Up, escucha me. Are you okay?" Taz made him look her in the eyes.

"Yes, Taz, I'm fine. Just tired, like I said." He pulled his head away from her hand which was supporting it and went back to his meat. Taz was confused. Why was he acting like this? She looked from him to Jorge. Jorge was still stuffing his mouth full but the pile of food had gone down considerably and he was eating less enthusiastically.

Then it hit her.


	8. Chapter 8

Up was_ jealous_ of Jorge. It all made sense. He was jealous that Jorge had been getting all Taz's attention. Taz knew now. Her face grew much calmer as she put an arm around Up at the table as he ate his odd meat.

"Up, oh Up. You know you will always come first for me, don't you? You saved my life a hundred times." She had to refrain from saying those three words. She could never decide if they were true or not, so she chose to keep them secret.

"I know, Taz, I know." He sighed and glared at Jorge, more meanly than he intended it to be. Jorge had stopped eating now and was sitting, wide eyed, looking at his plate, which still had a muffin top on it.

"Jorge, would you like to spend the day with Up? Of course I'd be there with you too to help translate." Taz told him her idea; she thought spending the day together meant they had to become at least friends. Jorge nodded slowly, uncertainly. "Okay then. Up," she turned back to Up, "Jorge would like to spend the day with you. Who knows, maybe you'll both learn something." Up raised his eyebrows but said nothing.

"What did you have planned?" Up asked after a few moments of silence. Taz put her head in her hand and her eyebrows furrowed together, thinking hard.

"I don't know. What would you like to do with Jorge?" He thought for a moment. What would a little boy want to do? "He seemed pretty interested in laser-tag, though would that be alright for a nine year old? Yeah, it'll be okay." Taz leaned in towards him, watching for a sign of agreement. Eventually, he nodded.

"Sure. Let's do that. Just us three? Or shall we get them to join us?" Up gestured towards the table where the rest of their team were. It seemed as though Bug had just told a hilarious joke as they were all laughing hard while facing him.

"I don't know if Jorge would be alright with that. Let me just ask." Taz turned to Jorge and asked him if he would be okay with the rest of the team. His eyes lit up as she mentioned the laser-tag then faltered a bit when she mentioned the other members of her team.

"Okay, but only if you stay with me." He said worriedly. She nodded once and beckoned to Jorge to join her as she got up to talk to the team.

"Okay, idiotas, this is Jorge. Up and I rescued him yesterday and we were wondering if you would join us in playing laser-tag?" She clapped her hands together and Jorge stood behind her, frightened.

"Alright, I'll play." Bug stood up, his furry skin brushing against February, tickling her and making her laugh.

"Good, anyone else?" Naturally, everyone else wanted to play. So Jorge was introduced to Specs, Krayonder, February and Bug in turn. Of course he already knew Tootsie and Megagirl. Bug was introduced last, and Jorge seemed particularly nervous around him, seeing as he wasn't human.

"Don't worry, Jorge, Bug's cool. He just looks a little different than the rest of us. He won't hurt you. No one here will, I promise." Taz smiled and Bug's jaw dropped slightly. He had never seen this amount of compassion from her to anyone except the Commander. Bug looked around at everyone else: their mouths were slightly open too.

"So, erm, Taz, is he Mexican? Like you?" Bug inquired. Taz bowed her head in a yes.

"Yes, he is. His familia is gone, like mine." She didn't seem to linger to long on that thought but he stayed quiet.

"So, like, he's like, your brother?" Taz walked calmly up to February, a small hint of anger in her eyes.

"No, idiota. Just because we come from the same country, does not mean we are familia." Jorge was still standing behind Taz and he could sense her feelings and backed away a little.

"What's going on then? You guys coming laser-tagging?" Up approached the table and almost bumped into Jorge, who was slowly backing away but as soon as Up touched him, he let out a small cry and ran straight back to Taz.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm sorry, I got a little angry with February. Come on, we'll get you suited up for the laser-tag." She said apologetically and held his hand tightly as they walked off together, heading for the equipment room.


	9. Chapter 9

_Okay, I knw I said I'd try and do at least four chapters while I was away, but i only managed three, so sorry. :P_

"Remember, aim for the head." Taz went over her tips to Jorge considering laser-tag. He sat, in the equipment room, listening intently to her, holding his laser close to his body. "Alright?" She asked and he nodded slowly, unsure.

"Will you protect me?" He smiled, almost cheekily.

"Of course I will, don't you think all that armour would do it?" She laughed and ruffled his hair, then stopped and thought. "You need a haircut, amigo. Want me to do it?" She joked, but he nodded again.

"Oh yes. I'd like it for you to do it." He shook his head vigorously from side to side, making his hair whip his face lightly.

"Alright then, I'll do it later." They didn't speak for a moment as Taz checked Jorge had got everything he needed: things such as his laser-gun and bodyguards. She didn't need bodyguards, just a gun to do everything she needed to. He didn't question this; he knew how tough she was now.

"Let's go shoot some ass." Jorge stood and pumped his gun ready. Taz narrowed her eyes at how enthused he was.

"You sure you're ready? It can get brutal." She winked and he giggled. "But don't worry, if you want to stop, I can call them off." She was serious that time, he nodded in understanding. "Let's go then!" She shouted and ran out, Jorge following suit.

Taz let Jorge choose their fort: the place where they would take cover. Bug and February were already on the field setting up their cover, kissing occasionally. Jorge saw them giving each other a peck on the lips and pulled a face of disgust. He is a bug, and she's human! he thought, That's just wrong.

"What's that face for? Oh, them. Ugh, I know." Taz wrinkled her nose and went back to loading her zapper.

"We won't hurt them, will we?" Jorge looked up at her with big brown eyes and she smiled gently.

"Of course not, they can take it." She winked again.

"Alright everybody, positions!" Up had walked onto the field, followed by Specs, Krayonder and Tootsie. Megagirl had decided not to play, as she would most likely get carried away, so she stood at the side.

The next half an hour was a blur to Jorge. He rolled, ducked, dodged and shot. Even he himself was in awe at how accurate he was. Taz had realised a few minutes in he didn't need even a little protection and she had to admit, she was impressed. She hadn't seen anyone fight like that, even in the heat of battle, apart from herself and Up maybe. In fact, she was so intrigued in watching Jorge, she had forgotten to protect herself and was prominently shot once by Tootsie.

She stumbled backwards, thinking to herself "why Tootsie, of all people?". She had never been shot once in laser-tag before and it hurt. Now Taz understood why people would pass out when shot too many times. But she sucked it up and got focused on what was happening.

"Taz! Are you okay?" Jorge ran over to her as he saw she had been shot.

"Sure I'm okay. Brilliant in fact." She adjusted her gun and pointed it, not really seeing at whom though. He cocked his head and frowned.

"That gun was set to the one above the "pew" setting. How did you do that? You don't even have any armour." He pointed back at Tootsie, who was watching Taz intently to see if she was alright.

"I guess I'm just tough. But you are tough too! You were great, amigo! Look, you can see even Up is impressed." Taz patted Jorge on the back and he blushed slightly. "Ah, looks like we're finishing now." She looked out at the field and everyone was starting to pack up. Tootsie ran over to Taz.

"I didn't hurt you there, did I? I sure hope I didn't." He said worriedly.

"No, Tootsie, I am tough, you can't hurt me with your little zapper." She laughed and Tootsie walked away, his eyebrows furrowed together. "Now what do you want to do? Remember, it's going to be with Up, whatever it is." Taz patted a hand onto his back and felt as the force of it nearly knocked her down. Maybe that zapper did hurt her more than she thought.


	10. Chapter 10

_Hi, erm, this is a little awkward as this isn't what I wanted the story to go like but never mind. I think its very much leaning towards another story so in the next chapter (not this one) I will try to fix it... promise. :) Thanks for reviewing and stuff._

"Taz, you alright?" Up jogged slowly to her and Jorge from a little across the field after collecting his backpack. Taz immediately wished everyone would stop asking her that, she had a splitting headache.

"Yes, Up, I am fine. Look." She gestured to her whole body which was clear of any noticeable wounds. He swung his heavy bag onto his back and cocked his head, signally for them to leave. They followed his off the field and back into the small locker room adjoining.

"What do you two want to do then?" She said, first in Spanish, then in English. Up and Jorge shrugged simultaneously without looking at each other and Taz sighed, her headache was getting worse.

"How about we watch a film? How about the Karate Kid? The Jackie Chan one? We could have it on in Spanish for Jorge with English subtitles." They began walking towards Up's room, which was larger and roomier than Taz's. Up nodded and she ran the idea past Jorge, who also nodded.

They got to the room and Up set his backpack down carefully. Usually, Taz would be very interested what was in there that was so fragile, but right now, she couldn't be less bothered. She rubbed her temples and sat down with Jorge next to her on the bed as Up set up the DVD player.

"Here we go." He said as it began and he sat on the other bed across the room, which was equally as far away as the television as it was for Taz and Jorge.

"What are you doing over there? Why not sit here?" She moved up so she was on the edge and there was enough room just for Up to fit beside Jorge. However, he felt uncomfortable being that close to him.

"It's alright, Taz, I can stay here." She gave him a stern look and he shuffled over and took a place gently beside the boy. She had her arms wrapped lightly around his shoulders and her head leaning in towards his. Up glanced at her, wide eyed, wondering how she could be so close to him already.

As the film started, Taz found her headache taking over her mind. She had never felt a headache this painful before. She shook her head vigorously and stood up.

"Sorry, this is meant to be bonding time. Now bond. I'll be in my room." She had run to her room after that, without any chance of Jorge or Up calling her back. She had said it in Spanish so Up had no idea what Taz was doing, but he could tell she didn't want to be bothered.

They watched the film in silence, other than Jorge explaining he had never seen this film before. After the film had ended, they stayed lying in their same positions for a few minutes, in a slightly awkward silence, until Jorge spoke.

"Good movie." He spoke softly and his eyes were almost struggling to stay open. He had spoken in English and Up nodded to say yes. Jorge yawned and snuggled down closer into Up, who had suddenly become strangely calm and warm inside. He could see why Taz liked Jorge.

"Come on." Up whispered as he slowly got up and lifted Jorge carefully from his bed. Jorge wrapped his arms gently around Ups neck as he fell asleep against his body as Up carried him to Taz's room.

"Taz?" Up kept his voice low, from fear of waking Jorge up.

"In here." Taz's voice came from the bathroom and she sounded hoarse. She came out looking weary. She smiled a small smile when she saw the two boys together and gestured for Up to leave him on her bed.

"Looks like we won't be bonding again today then." Up grinned. "What's wrong, Taz?" He put a hand on her shoulder and she closed her eyes, breathing in hard.

"Nothing." He sighed loudly, knowing she wouldn't tell him. There was no point arguing, especially as she looked like this; she'd probably end up shouting, or trying to shout at least.

"Alright then. Maybe later Jorge and I will spend some more time together. You can come and find me when he wakes up if you want." He smiled and Taz nodded and ushered him out her room.

She stood with her back against the cold door and it soothed her. Just before Up had walked in, she had been sick violently. Taz really hoped she wouldn't be sick again, but she was feeling slightly better now she had been. Suddenly, another huge wave of sickness took over and she ran to the bathroom to throw up.


	11. Chapter 11

_Hello again people! Just to say, sorry about taking so long, I've been busy with other stories and stuff. I would also like to dedicate this chapter to DaisyDoodle who dedicated a chapter of her story to me so I thought it would only be fair to do the same. So read her story: "Why are we so blind?" Its really good. :D Oh and by the way, I have no clue what's going to happen in this chapter, literally, I'm just about to write it... Anyway.. on with the story..._

Taz gently got into her bed next to Jorge and he cuddled close to her in his sleep. She was feeling so worn out and could only come to one conclusion, the zapper had done something to her. She couldn't say what it had done, as she didn't feel pain, only sickness and fatigue. Closing her eyes, she shook her head; she was being so pathetic.

The light was still casting shadows through the curtains of her bedroom, but the two slept for hours next to each other in complete peace, that was until Krayonder burst in Taz's room.

"Taz!" He frantically looked around for her and when he saw her his panic was immediately lowered. She snored quietly and he took a moment just to look at her. His eyes widened as he realised what he was doing. He shook her awake gently and she leapt up, grabbing her knife to point at him.

Krayonder took a step back in surprise.

"Sorry, man, you know, there's something really bogus going on out there! The last remaining robots have invaded the base!" Taz looked at Jorge, who was just starting to wake and she put a finger to her lips, looking angrily at Krayonder. She ushered him outside silently.

"What are you doing?" She kept her voice low, even though they were now standing outside her room. Krayonder looked at her, scared and swallowed.

"Sorry, man, just listen! The last robots are trying to take control." Sure enough, Taz heard sirens coming from all angles.

"Crap," she swore in Spanish, then, without talking to Krayonder again, ran into her room.

She placed her hand carefully on Jorge and whispered to him to wake up. He did so almost immediately and rubbed his eyes and looked to the curtains to check the time. It was dark which made him even more reluctant to wake, but Taz sounded scared.

"What's going on, Taz? What's that noise?" Now that Taz knew the sirens were on, it was hard to ignore them. She was very surprised they hadn't woken up earlier from the sound. She ignored Jorge's question for a moment as she grabbed her zapper. His eyes widened when he saw her load it.

"What's going on?" Jorge repeated, Taz looked at him sadly and sat down on the bed next to him.

"There are robots in the building. I don't want you to worry, almost everyone here has been trained for this and this isn't the first time it's happened. We can handle it. Okay? We're just going to move all the ones without training to a safe place down below the building. Come on." She took his hand and pulled him lightly to his feet as he yawned. Smiling slightly she took him down the halls, being careful not to be seen by any robot that may appear.

They had just started to jog down the stairs among a few other people when a robot started to march to meet them. Taz pointed her zapper and shot fiercely. The shots bounded off the metal skin of the robot, seeming to cause no damage. She started to yell in annoyance as she kept shooting at the nine foot high robot in front of her.

"Everyone, get back up!" She shouted over the noise of the zapper. "Jorge, go with them, they'll look after you." She looked momentarily back to see Jorge staring up at her with eyes full of tears.

"I'm never leaving you." He said quietly, just so Taz could hear it and stayed loyally by her side as the robot got closer and closer, the shots only just making him stagger slightly.

"No, you have to go! He's getting closer! Run, Jorge, now!" She yelled so loudly it scared Jorge. He glanced back then at Taz, too frightened to work out what he should do.


	12. Chapter 12

_Can I first just say, I've realised a mistake in the first chapter, it says Dr. –Claw instead of Space-Claw, how could I? So sorry bout that. (ps, maria, have you found me yet?)_

"GO!" Taz screamed at Jorge as he stood, frightened, beside her. The robot was advancing quickly and Taz had only inflicted minimal damage. Jorge darted behind her and whispered to himself.

"Please don't let Taz get hurt, please don't let her get hurt." He said, barely audible over the sound of zapper fire. He was hoping someone would hear him and save her, take them both away from the terrifying beast in front of them. But no one did come.

"Get back!" Taz shouted as she was forced to retreat back a few steps. She had almost given up on telling Jorge to get out, as it seemed he would never leave her.

"Puny hoo-mans. Your guns are no match. We have control of the building and now you will be obliterated." A loud droning voice came from the robot. Taz felt her zapper weaken its shots. It must be running out of the laser energy. She threw it to the ground and ran to the door with Jorge in tow.

Trying the door, she let out a burst of anger and hit the door with her fist. The small panel of glass in the door shattered. The door had been locked from the outside. They were trapped in there with the robot; the only choice was to move up the stairs.

"Come on!" She yelled at Jorge as she grabbed his hand and dragged him up. He kept looking back as they ran, whimpering as the metal machine was behind them, only a few steps away. It turned out it was faster than it looked.

Taz stopped abruptly and Jorge almost crashed into her. She turned back, but the robots were surrounding them.

"Hoo-mans, you will now surrender, and be taken hostage, failing to do so and we shall kill this flesh-bag." The robot advancing from the top of the stairs reached a robotic arm around to his back and pulled out a woman from behind him. She looked about early forties, with small wrinkles just appearing around her eyes.

Taz heard a loud gasp from Jorge as his eyes met the woman's.

"Mama!" He cried, trying to get to her, but Taz held him back as she knew what the robots would do.

"Jorge! Don't worry, it's going to be alright." Jorge's mother called helplessly to him.

"Taz, you won't let them hurt her, will you?" His big brown eyes were filled with tears as he looked longingly at Taz, waiting for her to tell him it was all going to be okay.

"No, but we won't surrender either." She said, strong, though in her head she was panicking. What should she do? They were stuck. She spared a glace to the zapper which had landed in the corner of the landing just below the robot. Squinting her eyes, Taz tried to work out a strategy. But every conclusion she came to, ended with someone dead.

Just then the door behind the first robot was flung open and Up stood there, sweating and his eyes darting around.

"Taz!" He shouted, and began to fire vigorously at the robot nearest him.

"Cease fire or death will take you all." The far one said, it seemed as though a smile would have been playing on his lips, if he'd had any.

"Up, stop! They have his mother!" Taz screamed at him. Up did stop. His eyebrows furrowed together as he realised the woman by the other metallic contraption. He sighed heavily.

"Put the little weapon down, hoo-man." They said together. Up walked confidently over to the one with Jorge's mother; he had a plan.

"Do not come closer, hoo-man." If Up hadn't known any better, he would've said there was a hint of fear coming from the robots voice.

"Why haven't you killed her?" Up said casually, wondering around the robot. "You should have done, so why haven't you? Do you need her for something? Testing? Slavery?" He questioned, standing face to metallic face with it.

"We must learn." Was all it replied. Up's eyes grew slightly in surprise.

"Learn from humans?" He chuckled. "Is this your idea? Or your leaders? Say, who is your leader now?"

"We... we..." The robots stuttered nervously. Jorge stared at Up. Up was the only person anyone knew who could make robots show feelings.

"NOW!" Up yelled and twisted his gun to point the closest robot in what he presumed to be the chest area and shot. All the while Up had been talking, Taz had crept around to get the gun to help Up. He had gestured which one they would take out first. They executed the plan successfully, neither of them could believe it had worked, but they mustn't show it.

"Jorge! My little Jorge!" Jorge's mother cried as she embraced her son. Taz couldn't help but feel slightly jealous, but she tried to overpower that with her feelings of relief that they were together again.


	13. Chapter 13

_Not the best, nor the longest. Just felt I had to update and so yeah.. I may change it later on.. never mind. Just read if you want. _

Taz turned to Up and smacked him across the face.

"Ow, my mug!" He shouted in surprise, but Jorge and his mother were too busy crying tears of joy to notice the little Mexican slap him. "What did you do that for, Taz?"

"You... you told me his mother was dead." Her voice was deadly calm, and Up knew to be very careful with what he said.

"Well, Taz, I did say that... but... I wanted... I..." He spoke slowly, trying to think of what to say.

"Spit it out, Up!" She told him angrily. He sighed.

"I saw how you were. You were so sad about your family and when you found him, you were so happy. I was just trying to make you happy, Taz. I'm sorry." Taz breathed out hard, trying to take in what he had said. Why was he trying to make her happy? Did she look sad?

"Ugh, I'll deal with you later." She resorted to that as her head was starting to spin from all that had happened. She walked slowly up to Jorge and his mother, who were talking in rushed Spanish.

"Mama, this is Taz! She saved me from the robots!" Jorge cried excitedly. "Taz, this is my mama."

Taz smiled slightly to the woman, who beamed back.

"Nice to finally meet you. I'm Taz." She reached out and shook Jorge's mothers hand confidently.

"I'm Cathelina. Thank you so much. You've returned him to me, I'll be forever grateful." At that moment, Cathelina burst into more floods of joyful tears and embraced Taz tightly, who was shocked at first, then hugged back. Taz was surprised at how she liked being hugged by a woman for once.

"It was no problem, really. I've loved looking after Jorge." She grinned and ruffled his hair. He blushed and shrugged.

"Miss, are you hurt?" Up stepped beside Taz and put his hand, concerned, on Cathelina's shoulder. She shook her head definitively.

"Thank you, Mister, but I am good." She spoke with even more of an accent than Taz, so Up listened intently so he didn't miss anything she said, it seemed anyone else couldn't have understood her if they hadn't heard a Spanish accent everyday. _(sorry, not sure about that paragraphy bit, haha)_

He nodded once and backed away slightly as the two women and the child spoke in fast Spanish again.

"Mama, where are we going to live? I want to stay with Taz." Jorge looked up at his mother with wide eyes.

Taz was about to answer that they could stay as long as they wanted to there at the Base, when Up interrupted coming forwards once more.

"Erm, Taz, there are still robots in the building. Maybe we should get these two to a safe place." He gestured towards Jorge and Cathelina but kept his blue eyes on Taz.

"Ah, yes, okay." She turned to Cathelina and spoke in Spanish again. "Cathelina, you and Jorge can make your way to my room. Jorge knows the way. Here, Jorge, take this to protect yourself." She handed him the gun she had been holding. "It will have charged up a little now, enough to kill a few stupid robots. Think you can handle it?"

Taz had given the gun to Jorge, not Cathelina, as she had no idea how the older woman would use it. Maybe like February... Maybe like Jorge, she couldn't tell. But Taz knew Jorge was brilliant with guns.

Jorge nodded enthusiastically and inspected the gun.

"Let's go, mama. Goodbye, Taz." He waved to Taz, and pulled his mothers arm in the direction of the door. He looked around just in case of robots then disappeared from sight. Taz sighed.

"I'm really sorry, Taz." Up said quietly. She breathed out loudly in an exasperated fashion and stalked off.

"Let's go kill some robotas!" Taz yelled into space and he followed her out.


	14. Chapter 14

_Hello everybody, first I'd just like to apologize for not updating in.. wowza, nearly 3 months.. secondly, I'd like to just warn you that this chapter (though I haven't actually written it yet) will not be at all good. I wouldn't expect much to happen either, meh, I'll try my best to make it interesting. I want to finish this story soon, so I think I know what's gonna happen in the end.. okay, maybe.. hmm... anyway.. The reason I haven't updated (this is the point where you just skip to the story instead of reading why I haven't updated) is because I've been working on some other stuff. I'm working on How I Met Your Mother and Phineas And Ferb fanfics going on at the moment so yeah, I've been busy and on top of that I got some news the other day which means I'm even busier! Dammit, when I do a ! it comes up with hundreds... I guess that's what I get for letting my friend borrow my computer for an hour. XD Anyway... shall I just write? I'm kinda trying to put it off, still thinking of actually what to write, but no, I made a deal that I would update TODAY. Right... I'll get started then... sorry again... _

Jorge and Cathelina had been moving for a while, in the direction of Taz's quarters when a robot approached them. Jorge heaved the gun partly onto his shoulder and fired. The sound of metal exploding met their ears. He grinned, feeling very pleased with himself. Cathelina looked at her son, confused about when he became so... so... she couldn't describe it. This wasn't him.

"Taz, did you see that?" Jorge shouted, but his face suddenly fell knowing Taz wasn't there. He wished she could've seen that, he was sure it would definitely make her proud of him.

The son she knew was a timid, skinny, nine year old boy. But seeing him kill a robot without any hesitation, it was strange... like it wasn't even Jorge anymore.

"When did you learn how to fight?" Cathelina asked quietly, still unable to take in what he had just done.

"Papa taught me. Before he died, we went out shooting every day, not at robots though, just at metal cans and things like that... I was very good, Mama." Jorge paused, trying to find the right words. "Do you think... do you think he misses me?" Cathelina smiled sadly at him, his brown doe eyes looking up at her.

"I know he does, Jorge. He loves you so much... Now come on, we need to get to Taz's room. Where is it?" She rubbed his back and they began to walk again, much more slowly this time. Jorge pointed and wiped his eyes in the most subtle way he could, Cathelina noticed, but said nothing.

"Ahhhh!" Taz screamed, shooting every-which-way. Adrenaline filled her body and she loved the feeling it gave her, like she could do anything. Up was to her left across the room, and he was silent. Like Taz, he was destroying all the metallic beasts that came his way, but his face was solemn. Glancing over at the young Mexican, he killed another robot much more maliciously than the times before.

"Where did they all come from?" Taz laughed and her eyes shone bright in the dim lighting of the Starship Base. Up didn't answer; he knew she was being rhetorical.

Then, as Up took a moment to look at Taz, a large robot managed to flip him over onto his back, making his gun slide across the floor. The robots couldn't use their lasers in there: a special system had been set in place to make sure the air didn't allow the robot's lasers to work, but thankfully the humans guns could still fire.

His gasp, however quiet it was, attracted Taz's attention. Her mouth opened and she sprinted over, leaping over the dead robots and humans alike with ease. Turning it into one of anger, her shouting continued. Slowly, the robot who had knocked Up down was about to kill him when Taz got close enough to shoot.

"Take that, you bastard!" She yelled as it gave out a small explosion. She grinned, grabbing Up's hand and dragging him so he was standing.

"Thanks, Taz." He said shyly, unsure of whether he was forgiven.

"Up, I had to save you. The other rangers wouldn't take too lightly to me if I let you die." She winked and Up knew they were okay.


	15. Chapter 15

_Dear gosh.. I tried to update this so many times.. Okay, that's a lie. I'm sorry. I tried to WRITE this so many times, but yeah.. You know how it is. And I've been pretty busy this year. But I haven't updated since.. November I think.. Gosh, that's a long time, sorry. I actually started writing this on the 22__nd__ of December, if I recall correctly. :P Anyway, I should just get on with it, eh? I think its nearing the end now .I cut it short because it was getting long.. Anyway, sorry for the late updates. Please don't kill me! :P _

Jorge and Cathelina waited in Taz's room. Jorge was pacing quickly across the room, keeping his eyes looking at the floor and the gun still on his arm. His mother was staring at the door, breathing heavily, thinking that a robot could enter at any time.

It was dead silent. They couldn't even hear the noise of the battle that may have still been going on just outside the door.

"Do not worry, Mama, we'll be alright." Jorge knew that this was true; he just hoped that Taz would be okay too. He paused in his pacing and sat down heavily on Taz's bed next to Cathelina. She took a hold of his hand with both of hers, squeezed it and gave him a reassuring smile, which he returned.

All of a sudden, Jorge heard the noise of someone punching in the code to get into the room. Both the woman and child stood up, and Jorge prepared the gun, aiming it at the door. Then he lowered it, thinking that a robot wouldn't just punch in the code.

"Taz?" He called unsurely. The door opened with a metallic sound and Up rushed in. Jorge wanted to say that the Commander looked scared, but he didn't... he looked terrified.

"Up? Where's Taz? What's wrong?" Jorge bombarded Up with questions in Spanish, all of which Up couldn't answer. He let Jorge quieten then spoke fast.

"Taz was injured, she's in the hospital wing. Don't worry, Jorge, its not too bad, not life-threatening... Just a small burn on her arm." Then why did Up look so frightened?

"What's wrong, Up? You look scared." Jorge voiced his thoughts in English this time, remembering Up couldn't understand his native tongue. Up sat down on the bed but Jorge and Cathelina stayed standing. Up's forehead was glistening with sweat and his breaths were coming fast. He began rocking slightly as he sat there.

"I'm just worried bout her, is all. That and we lost a few good people today..." He trailed. Jorge looked to the door, which was still open. Dead bodies lay scattered on the floor outside, human and robot. No one moved, all those out there were dead, and Jorge felt it was his fault.

"Oh no..." Stinging tears filled his eyes and he tried to blink them away, but they fell fast anyway. "This is all my fault..." He said quietly. Up stared at him in surprise.

"How is it your fault? It is in no way your fault, Jorge, remember that. You know, unless you sent out something telling them this is where our new base is... you didn't, did you?" He looked at the young boy quizzically.

"No, no, of course not!" Jorge replied quickly and Up frowned for a second.

"Okay then." He said cheerfully. "Shall we go check on Taz?" Up stood and Cathelina nodded.

"Wait, there aren't any more robots, are there?" Jorge said, his heart beating loudly.

"No... well, we don't think so." Up shrugged and began making his way past the dead bodies. Thankfully, it was mainly the dead bodies of robots now, as all the humans had been taken to someplace else, so Jorge didn't feel as sick when stepping over them.

Jorge had left the gun in Taz's room, hoping he wouldn't need it.

When they arrived at the hospital wing, a mere 2 minutes later, Jorge's eyes grew to the size of plates and his mouth dropped open.

He had been in the hospital wing once before, when he had first met Taz. The huge hall had been so empty then, only a few rangers lying on the lumpy beds, but now, as he walked through the white room, almost every bed was occupied. Doctor's were scurrying every-which-way trying to reach all their patients at the same time.

Jorge ran to Taz as soon as he saw her red bandana standing out against the pure white of the room. She was being fussed by a doctor, who was clearly trying to get her to lie down, yet failing miserably.

"Please, lie down!" The male doctor was pleading. "I have to go and attend to my other patients, but you need to stay here." Making an exasperated noise, he eyed Taz angrily and rushed off.

"Taz! Are you okay?" Jorge stopped at the bed and looked Taz over with his eyes. She smiled and ruffled his hair. She had a thin bandage around the upper part of her left arm, but it didn't look too bad.

"Just a little burn, Jorge, nothing to worry about. I need to get out of this place though; they've kept me here hours!" Up had also approached the bed and was smiling calmly, and although he didn't speak a lot of Spanish, he knew enough to make out some of what she had just said.

"You haven't been here hours, Taz." He chuckled and playfully slapped her uninjured arm. She pouted and turned her attention to more important matters.

"So what now? Where will you and Jorge live, Cathelina?" Taz asked the woman standing at the foot of her bed. Frowning, Cathelina hummed quickly.

"I don't know. Jorge seems to like it around here, but we couldn't stay here... we could get a house near here though. How about that, Jorge?" The young boy nodded vigorously and beamed at his mother.

"Then I could see Taz and Up every day!" He said excitedly and Cathelina laughed.

"Well, so long as they don't have anything to do. You wouldn't want to impose on them." She said, looking to the rangers for approval.

Up watched their mouths moving but didn't catch the full gist of what they were saying. Something about a house... and they mentioned Taz and himself... Frowning, he folded his arms across his chest.

"I think that'd be great!" Taz leapt up from the bed though was ordered by a doctor in passing that she should sit back down. She waved a hand to the doctor and ignored his comment.

"Wait, you have money with you? You have enough to buy a house?" Up made a valid point. He had understood what they were talking about now, Jorge and Cathelina were going to move in somewhere near, but how?

Cathelina's face fell, and seeing this, so did Jorge's.

"Mama? We can... move in somewhere here, right?" Cathelina sighed greatly and shook her head.

"I am afraid we have little money, Jorge. I don't know where we can live now. We can't go back to our house, we can't live here..." Frowning, Jorge spoke:

"So where?"


End file.
